Cong hails clean chit to Gavit

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) The Congress today said it was the beginning of a healthy parliamentary tradition that both the Houses of Parliament held Union Minister of State for Home Manik Rao Gavit not guilty of the allegation of having a nexus with a mafia don levelled against him by a TV channel yesterday.

Both the Houses, particularly the Rajya Sabha, had shown parliamentary maturity with all its members saying Mr Gavit was not guilty, after Mr Gavit had given his clarification, party spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi said.

He told reporters here that Mr Manik had requested for an impartial inquiry into the allegation upon which the Speaker said he would decide on the manner of inquiry after consultations with all party leaders. The report of the inquiry would be placed in both the Houses.

Mr Chaturvedi said the way political leaders came forward promptly with their reactions on the news about Mr Gavit was a lesson that the media and political parties should exercise restraint in their comments. They should not cross their limits for the sake of TRP, thereby making the entire political system untrustworthy.

Asked why he himself came forward with a quick reaction on the TV channel report last night, Mr Chaturvedi clarified that he had prefixed his reaction with the remark ''if it is true then it is shameful''.

He recalled that he had said the Prime Minister should first get the entire facts confirmed. If it was true then the Congress would not have stood by Mr Gavit, he added.

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